Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Ask Much, The Voice Suggested" by Jane Hirshfield explores the concept of desire and its interplay with fulfillment and emptiness. The poem navigates the tension between wanting more and the intrinsic equilibrium that governs life. It blends the individual with universal constants, like the law of conservation portrayed through the well metaphor, offering a nuanced view of human longing and satisfaction.

From the outset, the poem captures attention with a startling proposition: "Ask much, the voice suggested, and I startled." The voice serves as a catalyst, provoking a reaction that likens the speaker's body to a "trembling body of a horse tied to its tree while the strange noise passes over its ears." The equine metaphor reveals the speaker's natural instinct to resist or flee from an unfamiliar idea. This reflects the deeply ingrained societal or perhaps self-imposed limitations we often place on our desires.

The voice's message is counterintuitive to the speaker, who states, "I who in extremity had always wanted less, even of eating, of sleeping." This line is poignant because it speaks to a certain asceticism or minimalism that many aspire to, often out of fear of wanting too much and thereby risking disappointment or overindulgence. However, the voice prompts reconsideration of this approach.

In a line infused with wisdom and sagacity, the voice suggests that to "Want more" could be "a cure for longing I had not thought of." This idea is then masterfully symbolized by the well metaphor: "But that is how it is with wells. Whatever is taken refills to the steady level." This metaphor speaks to the natural equilibrium of life and perhaps the universe. Just like a well, our lives have a way of balancing themselves; when something is taken, something else takes its place. This could be interpreted in several ways: as a commentary on the renewable nature of desire, or as a hint at the cyclical dynamics of loss and gain, of emptiness and fulfillment.

The voice, described as "Agile," confirms this metaphor but does so "softly, to quiet the feet of the horse." Here, the voice's gentleness is the balm that calms the speaker's initial fears, akin to a rider soothing a skittish horse. The equine metaphor reappears, framing the poem in a thematic unity that emphasizes how startling yet fundamentally natural the voice's wisdom is.

Ultimately, Hirshfield's poem is an elegant meditation on desire and the paradoxical notion that one can cure longing by wanting more, not less. It challenges our preconceptions about satisfaction, advocating a worldview that embraces rather than suppresses our desires. By employing vivid metaphors and concise language, the poem captures the intricate dynamics of human emotions and the philosophical constants that may govern them.

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